The Neptunalia was an obscure archaic two-day festival in honor of

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 time ...

as god of waters, celebrated at

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in the heat and drought of summer, probably 23 July (

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

, ''De lingua Latina'' vi.19). It was one of the ''dies comitiales'', when committees of citizens could vote on civil or criminal matters. In the ancient calendar this day is marked as ''Nept. ludi et feriae'', or ''Nept. ludi'', from which

Leonhard Schmitz Leonhard Schmitz FRSE (1807 – May 1890) was a Prussian-born classical scholar and educational author, mainly active in the United Kingdom. He is sometimes referred to in the Anglicised version of his name Leonard Schmitz. Biography Schmitz wa ...

(in Smith, see link) concluded that the festival was celebrated with games (''

ludi ''Ludi'' (Latin plural) were public games held for the benefit and entertainment of the Roman people (''populus Romanus''). ''Ludi'' were held in conjunction with, or sometimes as the major feature of, Roman religious festivals, and were also ...

''). Respecting the ceremonies of this festival nothing is known, except that the people used to build huts of branches and foliage (''umbrae'', according to

Festus Festus may refer to: People Ancient world *Porcius Festus, Roman governor of Judea from approximately 58 to 62 AD *Sextus Pompeius Festus (later 2nd century), Roman grammarian *Festus (died 305), martyr along with Proculus of Pozzuoli *Festus (h ...

, under " Umbrae"), in which they probably feasted, drank, and amused themselves (

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

''Carmina'' iii.28.1, &c.;

Tertullian Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of L ...

''De Spectaculis'' ("On Celebrations") 6).

In Tunisia

Neptunalia is still celebrated in the city of

Sousse Sousse or Soussa ( ar, سوسة, ; Berber:''Susa'') is a city in Tunisia, capital of the Sousse Governorate. Located south of the capital Tunis, the city has 271,428 inhabitants (2014). Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf ...

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

under the name

Carnival of Awussu The Carnival of Awussu, or in French carnaval d'Aoussou, is an annual festive and cultural event that unfolds each 24th of July in Sousse, Tunisia. It's a parade of symbolic chariots, fanfares and folk groups from Tunisia and elsewhere which t ...

. The celebration transformed as time unfold and lost all religious connotations.

References

External links

LacusCurtius website:
William Smith's ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities,'' 1875.

Ancient Roman festivals July observances Festivals of Poseidon Religious festivals in Italy Neptune (mythology) Summer holidays (Northern Hemisphere) {{reli-festival-stub